Post Your BB-64 Photo Requests

[Cliffy B]

Hey guys, I am now an official member of the Wisconsin's "Crew" IE a tour guide! Please post your photo requests here and I'll get to them whenever I'm aboard which, is weekly. Now's your chance to get that really obscure detail you always wanted to see. If you're in the area (Norfolk, VA) or plan on visiting come on by and I'll give you a tour

Only thing that may obscure exterior details is an awning we have rigged sheltering the O1 deck below the bridge, IE the "Surrender Deck". We also have a collection of chairs for special events stored to port of Turret 3. Other than that, she's all there save for her SLQ-32s, Phalanx, SRBOC, RPV Control Dome (after stack), SPQ-9A, and OE-82s. The foundations and platforms for the previous objects are still there though. Might be missing a few other things but I'm not sure.

-Mike

Note to Mods: If this belongs in a different area of the board please move it. I wasn't sure where to put it and I didn't want to put it in the CASF Iowa thread since it would get buried as soon as anyone asked a question.

[Hallis]

Don't think I need anything at the moment, But I am extremely jealous of you being on the crew for a battleship monument That's got to be awesome as hell. If San Jacinto state park weren't 4.5 hours away i'd volunteer/work at the USS Texas BB-35.

[BB62vet]

Cliffy B -

Here's a request, albeit not a specifically PHOTO request:

My recollection of the padeyes on either side of the bow area of the hull (2 rows of eyes) is that they are more than likely 3" ID or 4" ID eyes. I don't think they are larger, but very well could be. Any way that you could give me an approximation of their actual size? Also, while I do have photos of the forward hull from various angles, as the photo fades into the background, I am unable to count exactly how many eyes were on each row. Could you get me a count? One other item of dimensional properties might be the distance from row to row and from top edge of hull down to first row, even if they were eyeballed - I can then use the forward body plan to figure approx. distance.

Your help is greatly appreciated!!! I will certainly nominate you for the prestigious COMALTFLT Anchor Clanker Award for 2014.

Many thanks,

Hank

[Cliffy B]

Hank,

I can certainly get you some detailed photos of the eyes from the walkway that goes around the bow. Sadly its not right against the bow but its still close enough for some zoomed in shots and a count. I'll see what I can get looking over the rail but I doubt it'll be much. I'll make notes where the eyes stop in relation to anything I can find that's close by. I'll let you know by the end of the week.

So what's this award come with? Anything good?

-Mike

[BB62vet]

Mike,

Thanks! Any info is appreciated.

Well, as with all online awards, it will consist of Ethernet champagne - the bubby stuff in The Cloud!!!

Hank

[Fliger747]

Hank:

Here is a portion of a bow photo showing the padeyes. Look to be 3" to my eye. You may be able to scale the location from the lifelines.

Regards: Tom

[Fliger747]

Another one

[Cliffy B]

Got closeups and counts of the pad eyes but couldn't get an indication of size jsut yet. It was high of 25 with high winds today so I'll see about getting a measurement on them later this week. I'll post photos tomorrow.

[BB62vet]

Tom, Cliffy B:

Thanks!

Hank

[Cliffy B]

Here's the pad eyes on the bow.

Case sensitive password: Battleship
http://s647.photobucket.com/user/Cliffy ... t=4&page=1

Note: ALL of them are arranged vertically EXCEPT for the forward most row that is horizontal. Look at the closeups to see what I mean.

Pad eye count as follows:
Top Row: 25
Middle Row: 31
Bottom Row: 26

[BB62vet]

Cliffy B,

Thanks - saw this on the CASF BB forum. I'll make a note of your count and advice as to arrangement.

This DOES help.

Hank

[jasonfreeland]

padeyes 2.jpg

Another one

I'm sure everyone is going to cringe when I ask this, but what is the egg beater looking antenna at the bow? I've always wondered and never found an answer (Never set foot on a ship, I just enjoy them by proxy).

[Cliffy B]

The antennae on the bow is the LINK 11 antennae usually associated with NTDS. The BBs just got the antennae however and not the full NTDS package. If I'm remembering correctly, LINK 11 allowed them to see what the sensors of their escorts saw allowing the BBs to go to EMCON and therefore masking the emissions from the capital ship.

[Fliger747]

CliffyB

I am not sure if the Whisky boat has these or not, but some of the other Iowa's have external to the hull two rows of gusset plates, which are more or less flush riveted. These plates begin and end at the ends of the armored citadel. Trying to scale these from photos is proving inexact. The spacing from a photo of the ship Below the 51 mount looks as if the spacing is 32 feet. However I do not know if the spacing is the same fore and aft. I presume that the spacing is related into the four foot frame interval.
Cheers. Tom

[jasonfreeland]

The antennae on the bow is the LINK 11 antennae usually associated with NTDS. The BBs just got the antennae however and not the full NTDS package. If I'm remembering correctly, LINK 11 allowed them to see what the sensors of their escorts saw allowing the BBs to go to EMCON and therefore masking the emissions from the capital ship.

Thanks! Big difference in LINK 11 and LINK 16 antennas. I knew about NTDS from a what it did stand point, I just had never connected it with that antenna. Now that SM-6 is in service, I'm looking forward to what it means for cooperative engagement possibilities with things like the LINK systems. Again thanks.

[Fliger747]

CliffyB

These are the plates that I am talking about. I have tried to make a list of the frame numbers of all of them by referencing photos, but some of that might be in error as I am comparing positions of chocks etc on the drawings, which could be approximate.

Cheers: Tom

[Cliffy B]

You're talking about those cap plates that cover the butt ends of the armor plating correct? I can take photos from the pier but I can't measure them with the way the lifelines are rigged and we don't have any bosuns' chairs

Do you have a copy of Sumrall's "Iowa Class Battleships: Their Design Weapons & Equipment" ? In it he lists the lengths of the armored sections by frames as well as has a diagram showing all of the armor plates and where there go. If you don't let me know and I'll scan the requisite areas.

The Upper Belt consists of 16 plates from FR 50-166.
The Lower Belt consists of 46 plates from FR 50-166 and an additional 10 plates from FR 166-189.

All of the plates appear uniform in size EXCEPT 2 on the upper and 4 on the lower a little forward of Turret 3 that are a bit smaller for the upper and larger for the lower belt.

That being said, the cap plates SHOULD all be the same distance apart except for those few listed above.

[DrPR]

If you can find a hull plating diagram it will show the location of these "backing plates." They are positioned at the joint between two hull plates and are riveted to the plates to tie the two plates together. Above the waterline (and above heavy armor plating) they are on the outside of the plating. Below the waterline they are on the inside of the plating. They are aligned with frames or half frames inside the hull.

On most ships these backing plates were not found near bow or stern where the thinner hull plates were welded together. But the plates amidships were much thicker and had to be riveted together.

Note: Armor plating was something entirely different. These heavy plates were fastened together without penetrating rivets that would weaken the armor.

Phil

[Fliger747]

I have made the assumption that the riveted joints are on frames, but half frames would be possible. The upper plates are 25# STS and the lowermost ones a heavier 60# STS plate to help prevent riddling by splinters. Supposedly the later ships were welded here, but that might mean Kentucky etc. I think I may have most of them reasonably located by examining a great number of photographs and referencing drawings. I haven't located an external plating drawing as yet. I do have the drawing showing the main armor plates, laid out. I don't think that is of any assistance in this, but will look again.

Sometimes the armor was riveted, for example the turret tops. For structural reasons it was often fastened to a STS backing plate. The manufacture of the armor plates and the main battery rifles was a major industrial achievement, one we would no longer be capable of.

Cheers: Tom

[Channell]

Any chance we could get pictures of the interior of the bridge (especially the ceiling, showing the layout of the support trusses around the conning tower and pipes/wiring?) I want to superdetail the bridge interior of my 1/200 'Mo and need some more resources for it. Thanks!